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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1890-1-3, Page 7JANUARY 3, 1889. UUMONUBU??O PROM` THE DIARY O1 A LAWYER AND THE 1`;,r'"" BOOK OV' A REPORTER. By BARCLAY NORTH, Copyrighted, 1669, by 0. M. Dunham. Published by Spe- cial Arrangement through the American Press Association. "it ought to 1)e thought or, tnougn," replied Iiolbrook gravely; "the way to a solving of the mystery may be through an examinationof his business affairs. Pardon me, were you and Mrs. Temple- ton dependent on your brother?'' "No; when we became of age he re- fused to take his share of the property, but settled allon mother." "It was not much when divided, he said," broke in the mother, "but when lett as a whole It was more thanenough for Annie and myself." "IIe studied law and was admitted to the bar," said the sister, "but, failing to get practice, he went into the real estate business." "Had your son no very inthnate friend?" "Yee, one; bet he is h1 China now and has been for a year," "Was your sen enguged to any young lady or attentive to tiny one?" "None that I know of or over heard of," The sister confirmed this statement eagerly. It was evident that both were jealous of the supposititious young lady. The young lawyer mused a moment. Finally 'masked: "Are you acquainted with a Dir. Witherspoon?" "Witherspoon? 1 never heard the name before," replied the mother. "Did you, Annie?" "No 1 never did." "Nor 1 person by the name of Ash- grove?" continued the lawyer. "No," said both together. "Never knew or heard of a young lady named Floret Ashgrove?" "Never," staid the mother. "The name has 0 familiar sound," said the girl wonderingly. "Is she not a fashionable young lady of this city whpse name is in the papers frequently'?" The lawyer smiled and answered, • Yes:+. "Stop!" cried the girl suddenly. "I once when my . brother was at recollect home I lifted a coat he had thrown upon a chair. and a letter fell from the pooket signed 'Flora Ashgrove.' I handed it to 'him and he said 'An invitation to a dinner 1 were, to last week—from one of my cutw a. e t m a^.' 'Do you have ladies for hesaid: 'Quite oustomc.rs.r Q I usltod, and frequently, but this lady writes for her uncle, who itis been one of my best cus- tomers. • !las been?" queried the lawyer. "That is tho way he spoke. I remem- ber, for it conveyed the idea to me he was so no longer. But why do you ask these questions?" "There is nothing signiQoantin them," ' said the lawyer, seeing the interest he had aroused. "I called at the house of Mr. Witherspoon, who is doubtless the uncle referred to by your brother, on the day following the murder. Miss Ash- grove seemed to be much shocked at the murder, and said . she wasacquainted with Mr. Templeton. In looking at this in to helpyou, trying matter a Y u+ I am n w in _ever direction. gd�aspir>.g at straws y There is no more significance in the question concerning her than in the others." "But," he continued I have one piece of advice to give you and which 1 Must urgently and respectfully press, and that is that you take immediate steps with regard to your.son's business and property. In 'that way you may come upon revelations you little dream of now.' "What should we do?" asked the sister. "You should consult a reputable law- yer, place the matter in his hands. and be guided by ham." "Are you not a lawyer?" • "Yes, 1 am 1a'lawyer,"he replied, "and should be ;nest happy to undertake your case." "Please do," pleaded the sister. "We should have suchconfidencein you. You are the only one. who has been kind to us in this ead.busintlss." Then she'blushed• a rosy. red; thinking perhaps she- had- said too much, . an Holbrook: actually: blushed because she blushed. . He began to think the whole interview was very unprofesslonaL So after tak- ing somo.momorandaand promising to call upon them at the hotel where they were stopping, the next evening, tee re- port progress, he !accompanied them to the elevator, e .As they passed in, Tom Bryan passed out Hello, Holbrook, I was coming to lee 'gou,'.' he cried, lint se6ingjlelbrook with the tadies`lto bsgged '1218 "pardon aria stepped aside. "A deuced pretty client, Holbrook," said Tom mischievously, as the lawyer turned to him, "Hush," warned Holbrook. "that is 'fempleton's sister. "What, the mala who, was murdered in limon squarer" Then he sprang to the elevator and pressed the button hurried- ly several times, calling out: "Here, stop, step that elevator!" C11:1PTIIR VITT• ieLel"EOOI col- lared him, THE BRUSSELS PAST. Torn set clown, "Have you over heard of a young lady named Flora Ashgrove?" 1 "''es, and have seen her, toe," "Do you know the set she goes with?" "'Yes." con. C11AI'TEIt X. "Then 1 wont to see it once to match A eeneette nNc,'ts NUT Delve ON'rire etl,roe the steles," "That oleo can be arranged." While the joweler was making cotes j of the button, Holbrook began a close examination of the make and style of "Do you know the men? the clothes. having eatisfLod himself as "All of them." to that, he turned the trnueers wrong "Who aro they?" side out, and found it piuco where the ' "First, there's henry Holbrook." cloth had been widely turned over ata 1 "No he% last go on," Beam, Xt gave a complete idea of the "Olt, Charlie Gray, Henry beim, OradBeam. astern of the cloth. Ilhinehart, track Hardy, Elmore Brandt, p „I want to cut so much off." Steve Ellengwood and that sot." "Easil enough,ono place or an grave, other." versed earnestly. Holbrook wes per. "Well, so much on that head, Now, sistent and energetic The 011/01111 Can you fall in with them? The official hesitated and looked y in P The two retired to a corner and eon - sue wm cep Ila interviewed against nee let's talk about the murder." yielded advice. Come in. if you wan eto tutor- "My dear boy, if you want to play with ' A pair of shears froin the high of;lrial's view anybody, interview me," me, play an open hand, no half confl- desic did the work. Tom looked at him roguishly and mid: dentes, You can't switch me off in that When the jeweler intimated that he "Do you recollect what the reply of way." the king was to Ric:ielieu, when thecar- dinal told him if he must love anybody, to love him?" "No." "He said, 'A very poor substitute, your eminence, for a fresh young demoiselle.' boa say I. Holbrook led the waY into his private office, closing the door behind them. to retain you in the matter additionally o'clock, day after to-hnorrow. "Squat," said he to Tom. "and take a and give you some assistance. It won't cigar." be long either before I can give it to you, "I shall have to work night end day Tom threw himself on the lounge at but not today. When you come to me then." full length and as ho lit his cigar, said: day after to -morrow I will play an open "That's why I offer you four times the "By Jove—puff—puff—it's a deuced— hand." sunt you mune. The affair is urgent." puff—strange thing—put?—puff—puff— "Good. I'm off," "Thee, will be done." that I should-puff—have run up—puff "No, hold on, What are you going to Holbrook then went to Delmonico's, —puff—against Templeton's sister here." do to -night?" where lie found Bryan awaiting him. "Why?" "Nothing." "Let us get somewhere where we can "Because it was precisely that murder "Dine with mo at 6. and afterward Iet talk without beingheard," said Holbrook. which led me here. What have you got us go to the Casino." They took the corner of Twenty-sixth new about it?" "All right, 1'l1 do that," street and Broadway. "Nothing." "Meet me at 6 sharp at'Del's' cafe." Toni took rho seat with his back to the "And you her counsel?" "Good, Now I am off, By -by." corner. "Yes, since ten minutes ago." After Tom left the room, Holbrook Tints he was enabled to survey the "Hasn't she got a suspicion of any went to the window and looked out. kind—of a woman, or a quarrel, etc.?" Tho scene before him, however, was "Not a suspicion. But let mo. put you not what interested him. His thoughts on the right track. I am retained to had gone back again to that singular in - look after the dead brother's property. terview with Flora Ashgrove. and see to closing up his business." "Why shouldn't I tell Tom of that "Oh, well, I haven't dropped that conversation?" he asked himself aloud. murder yet," "He is trustworthy and shrewd. it is "What do you know more about It?" not like talking to a public official, and "Not much, if anything. The old man he will respect confidence. Suppose the has become very much interested in the girl is implicated! What then? No ob- ease, and has discharged me." ligation rests on me to protect her from The "old man" was the editor-in-chief her evil deeds, if evil deeds they are? If of the paper Tom wes employed on, they are not, and she isnot compromised, "Discharged you?" then no harm is done. Yes. I'll toll him, "Yes, at my suggestion." and to -night." "I don't understand you." He laughed. "No? Wen, then, I am detailed to "I promised myself to keep out of this work the matter to the end, As a first affair, and here I am going in full move I have gotten myself discharged, length. So nuch for the influence of a so as to throw the other boys off the pair of soft brown eyes. By George, she scent? Do you see?" is a beautiful girl, Annie Templeton! A "Oh!" fellow could be very happy in the love of "I have been working for three days, such a creature." and I want help. Those confounded de- rives jealousof ever since 1 : de- tectives me rooted out that nest of burglars up the country—you remember—and watch me like a hawk." "How can I help you?" "Very easily, and all the more since you are now counsel for the sister. I avant an exact description of that suit of clothes the man wore who knifed Templeton. Of course if I asked to see it I could easy enough, but I'd have the whole lot of them on my heels." "And you wantme to get the suit for yon?" "No, but I want you to become thor- oughly acquainted with it." "To what end?" "I want to buy a suit just like it." "Pshaw." "You think fooling?" ?" hi I am "I don't think it, I know it." "Holbrook, you pass in this city for being one of the ablest of the young but you can be an awful stupid lawyers, y , Y fbol at times." "Thank vou." "'!'mean it: Can't you see what I'm driving at?" "No, I'm blest if I can." "Well, I'll let yon in a little way. The man who knifed Templeton wore a cheap suit of clothes which he had just pur- chased—wore wore it for the purpose of a dis- guise." s- guise." "Yes, doubtless." "After the cutting he ran away, throw- ing off his coat" "Goad:" "Then he threw off his pantaloons and hat." "Yee:" "These wore, found, but no vest." ,."All of these chestnuts are proper in form and solid in substance." Tom paid no attention to the sarcasm, but pulled steadily on his cigar, the fire of whish had nearly died out. Restoring it. he continued: "t3up pose I should: find a clothes dealer who sold ;a similar suit too.large fee the man who boiegbt it and didn't care for the vest, oe the'''ilay,, or the day previ- ous to the murder, or thereabouts?" "Tom, I beg your ;pardop." "Correct. The easiest way to find such a man and such a suit is to ge and buy one," "I see," "If I hada piece of the cloth I wopid be happy." "I'll get it for you." "You can't. they won't let you nut it.'• "Oh, yes, they 'Will." "That isn't all," "What next?" "1 want a jeweler's desorlptioh of that diamond button you found:" . "I'11 get that for you." "You're a jewel yourself, When will "Here, you lu- natie, what nee you Iip to?" "I trent to stop her.'I want to in- ter%iew her. Stop that elevator." ""That you skids;," "Who'll pie - vent me?' "I will. I am 1,ex touted, }anti Holbrook was annoyed, "Tom, you aro too shrewd for me. I can't say any more today on that score, But I want to say this: I am ve17 anx- ious to get at the bottom of this matter. Half an hour before you came in I had determined to hunt you up. You are al- ready I propose engaged on the affair. o P P eg bad finished bis work of erumnutti0n. Holbrook looked at his watch; it wan r; o'clock. "What will bo the cost of these but- tons?" The jeweler named what he thought would be the sum. "I will give you four tinlcsthat amount 1 if you will deliver them at my office at ? whole room and could note who en- tered, After they had given their orders, Hol- li of cloth, d cI Tom the e Hol- brook handed P "What is that?" "A piece of the stilt worn by the mur- derer." "You are prompt. Are you sure it is the same?" "Sure. 1 cut it off myself." "Good. have you a description of the button?" "No. L have done better." "What?" "I shall have, day after to -morrow, a pair of then!—a complete imitation of the buttons, so close you could not tell "tether from which.'' "You aro an angel. Good, this is get- ting130 quiet— hereon with a vengeance. q here conies the waiter with our soup." While they were dining Holbrook told Tom of his singular interview with Flora Ashgrove. Then he drummed on the window, lost Tom was deeply interested. In pleasant castle building. He listened without interjecting a re - Suddenly lie started with the exclama- mark, only to caution Holbrook to sus- pend his narrative when the waiter or some one else approached too closely. When it we0 finished he was thought- ful. Finally he said: He caught his hat and hurried out. "You should have told this to the cor- oner, But I am glad you did not. You CHAPTER IX. ought to tell this to your high of Seim, A DINNER AT DELMONIC0'9, ' but I hope you won't," NCEintlhestreet, "What do you think of it all?" asked he hurried to Mai- den lane and en- tered the store of a manufacturing jeweler, . A moment later he issued with a companion, and at the corner of Broadway wait- ed for a cob, One was soon hailed, an d the two entered and were driven to police. headquar- ters. He had not boasted: After a private interview wits a hig 1 official the garments were brought to him and the diamond button as well. The high official was present. The button was shown to his compan- ion, who was the foreman of the menu- ractnriily ieweler. "1 want such a description written of that button :as you world give another joweler," said Holbrook. The man looked et it curiously. ton: "Dreaming is not work." He looked at his watch. "Half -past three: l have two hours and a half before me." Holbrook, It is a queer loess, and I think it deeper than ever, There's a great story behind that hnurdor. flml That girl. thinks she knows who did it, and she is afraid for the num. Questioning her would do no good now; nor would it w it although n ticllen Ons er, havedo 0 a g _Y she was then more on lien guard than she w111 be again. After all, she said nothing; as you say, it was all in her nnnei i don't think as much of the m button as 1 did.". "Why?" "Because she recognized it, and saw it didn't belong to the man she thinks did the deed. She thought until she saw it that you had something that could be traced to the marl she wants to screen. She thinks now that you are on a false 1 In ]ler You must throw yourself trail, Io y way again as soon as you can. She will be anxious to know how your suspicious are tending. Don't thew her that you have an idea that she knows or suspects any one." leo thought a moment and said, "I suppose she is in love with the mall." llolbrook had not reasoned so closely, but he was struck with the, cogency of Bryan's argument, "That was never made in this coup- "The buttons, thou, aro, of no value," try." he said, and he laughed as lea added, "I "How do you know that?" promised four t}}imes the value to have "How do you know that oopy of the them Bono quickly." first edition of Littletola was not printed "They aro of value, quickly respond - in this coutitryl+ P ed Bryan, "great value; all the same, "Because it was rinted before this they may track the murderer. Itis by country was instituted." no means certain that Miss Ashgrove's Precisely; t ns button was mads be- suspicions aro correct. She may be 011 foie this country was discovered. The a false scent, But, after all, she would diamond has been, inserted recently. To not suspect any one of committing the know 61iie Ts a pal.. my trade, fat deed unless there was a reason existing not in the work in' what you (night call for doing it. Now what is that reason? the ornamentation—no, it is in. the way That. is'w'bat we must try to find out. , the button has keen put together; that' 1 "]jut how? Tho evay`is dark," tell. The work on it has been imitated "Oh, I hays seen more' tangled skeins for many years, Do you want a techni- than this unraveled. The great point is cal description? ,Tt would be valuable to make the first Step, After that things only, to aulother•jeweler." 90 easy • Holbrook meditated, Holbrook's tale of the interview with et The high official looked on with inter. Flora had ocaapied the tinge of the din - est. nor, and .Corn's comments upon it lead ,Vinally Holbrook spoke, been made over their cigars, "Con you make too an imitation of having exhausted speculation as welt slat button?" as argument upon it, Holbrook looked at his watch and pronomhiee.d it time 20 sot out for the Casino, c' HE entertainment 011 the night of the visit of our two friends WOR conli0 opera, for which the house is famous, The one oc- cupying the !hoards Inas highly papular, and though it was midsummer the house was crowded. The audience, however, was not fur- nished by New York. It was clearly made up of strangers to the city: Tom made this reeler!: to his compan- ion as soon as theyseated themselves. "Did you ever l:not:','• 1)111.0(1 Toni, "that 1 t...., an actor once?" ,"No." "Fact. A very bad ane. 1 begun life that way, but discovered in time that I had net the qualities requisite for suc- cess, and so after two seasons of starva- tion 1 abandoned the sock and buskin and eventually drifted into journalism. That is my vocation." Ile looked at his programme. "Yes, 1 thought so," he continued: "you will see on the stage tonight a girl I was once engaged to.' "You cut her when you cut the pro- f ession?" "No, she cut me—for a pair of dia- mond earrings. I think that fact had quite as much as anything else to do with the realizing sense of roy dramatis deficiencies. Ah,but that was in the long ago." ^: The first act then demanded their at- tention, and at Its close Tom looked about the house. He directed the attention of Holbrook to one of the boxes. "Is that not Flora Ashgrove?" Holbrook leveled his opera glasses at the box pointed out. "Yes. No doubt of it., though her back is turned to us. Who aro the others in the box?" "Lemke have the glasses," said Tom, "I can not make them out, Three men and another woman. They sit in the shadow. Stop, there is some one coming from the box. 011, it's Dick Witherspoon, her cousin. That's all right, !he'll come back; he is going out for a clove." "Somewhat strange to see `the hand- some of .fish e 1 •the at this Flora'Hectic. solus the year," commented Holbrook. "Yes, one would suppose she was at Newport," "Site has been there, and "Caine in on some business with her uncle. Tllebusi- ness must have detained her." "So it seems," "She must have been in the city at the time of the funeral." "Whose?" "Tenmpleton's." "Well, what of it?" "What of it? Why, she didn't attend it." "I shouldn't suppose she would." "You forgot. I told'you that she said she Wes a relative—a remote relative, of Templeton." isn't ' strange. S did.It is True s O you fi y it?" By this time the curtain went up on the second act, and attention was again concentrated on the stage, At its con- clusion the lady in the box changed her seat so that she Could look over the house. In time, as her eyes roamed over the orchestra circle, they encountered these of Holbrook. She recognized him and bowed—somewhat coldly, Holbrook thought: "Shall you go and speak to hers?" r n' know "No," said Holbrook. Ido t what people I may meet there." The fact was, while hardly conscious of it, ever, since his interview he had regarded her with a sort of repugnance. ' "I think you make a mistake." "Perhaps, but I sha'Ii t go, all the same." '"You mustn't' drop her acquaintance." "That may be, but I don't think her recognition, was purto \larly'eneourag- ing, Have you noticed that she has not looked our way once ince?" Tom was not sided. Just what Holbrook 'was to'dowhen lie did see her, he could not have suggested, When Holbrook added that in a small box, With several about in close proximity,' eho was not likely to engage in a con- fidential conversation, he was Compelled to acquiesce. Still he thettght Holbrook should call on her. Finally he said: "See hercj; Holbrook. You've seen this opera, and only attire for the music. Well, let us go upstairs. TM, doubLedlythat party will ge eh the root after the performance. We can go up these mid hear the music at tw 11 es There. I would like to get 0 nearer view of the people with her. "To what purpose?" "Oh, who eau tell? I haven'tiny' rea- son ter purpose. Instin"t tells me to do, something." ' Ve1'y well, we'll t o." 'Cltey left their Ready, and Holbrook was conscious that Flora watched then! steadily as they wept. tap the 121510, Ile Made sw'e of it 111 tha> ,loot, when ha could do so with0u1 Nein ; o11sc1'ved, 01100 upstahs they' tuurc1 010111801\'ts so; thaht they could w•0101 1,110 (10:111 or wil,11011t being seen, 1 "I do 11,11. limey what chi are 2111 t0," eonminined 1lulbronli. ('re 11) e•OR't 20)111'.) 1 ' I "Oh yes, pretty near; Belmar that only you do ]t: ' rt Jetre.ler would discover Chodiffeience." mori1•otvcintthe morniegd see me ll0 day after ictal ,'Stone and all?" "All right. I'm off," • 1 "The Moue is the easiest part, "Dtulee hue to 01 Chen—a Pah.'" "Stop H 111111Ut0i 1 w•al111 tic ;felt 11o;